DOE Metrics 2015-2016 – Metabolic Engineering

FY16 Performance Metric:

Develop an improved metabolic engineering method for modifying microorganisms for biofuel production from cellulosic sugars.

Realizing the nation’s goal to increase biomass-based fuel alternatives, increase biofuel production capacity and decrease dependence on petroleum-derived products, requires basic science advancements to develop and optimize engineered microorganisms. JBEI has developed an internationally recognized program in synthetic biology to enable production of a variety of fuel types and to optimize fuel production. We have made scientific discoveries and developed tools that permit enzymes and metabolic pathways from a variety of sources (e.g., plant, microbial, and mammalian cells) to be employed in a host organism to convert lignocellulosic sugars to target fuel molecules.

JBEI’s Fuels Synthesis Division engineers microorganisms and develops metabolic engineering tools to efficiently convert cellulose-derived sugars to advanced biofuels with properties similar to those of petroleum-based fuels. This critical, foundational science is required to optimize biofuel production and maximize titers, rates and yields. We have made significant progress engineering microorganisms to produce advanced “drop-in” biofuels through the development of hosts, new metabolic pathways, and tools to aid in their development. JBEI’s work continues to refine metabolic engineering tools, create new tools and further basic scientific discovery critical to the development of microorganisms engineered to efficiently produce biofuels that will support economically viable and sustainable bio-mass derived fuel production to replace those currently derived from petroleum.

Quarterly targets

Q1 – Report on new microbial metabolic pathways being developed for converting cellulosic sugars to biofuels. [Download PDF]Q2 – Report on new methods to modify or control regulation of engineered pathways for biofuel production. [Download PDF]Q3 – Report on new tools available for facilitating the design of engineered pathways in microorganisms for biofuel production from cellulosic sugars. [Download PDF]Q4 – Report on methods to improve yields of biofuels from engineered microorganisms. [Download PDF]End-of-year report – Develop an improved metabolic engineering method for modifying microorganisms for biofuel production from cellulosic sugars. [Download PDF]